The Friendly Greek recently had an entire cooler set aside for this year's pumpkin beers. I bought as many different ones as I could and I am now working my way through them between Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving.

From the bottle: "Brewed in Milwaukee for people who like beer."

I like beer, so this should be right up my alley! I gave it a good heavy handed pour, resulting in two fingers of creamy, tawny head with great retention. Color was a pumpkin-like orangish-amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. I know that 8 is between 7 and 9, but my card does not have that shade. Nose was VERY spicy, cinnamon, clove and ginger being prevalent. Mouthfeel was much fuller than the Stoudt's pumkin lager, giving this one a creamy aspect. The spices were just right, not overwhelming and by closing my eyes, I could imagine drinking a cool pumpkin latte. This is a great pumpkin lager, but don't tell Linus or he might be panicked! Get it, a Great Pumpkin lager? Finish was semi-dry, but because they showed some restraint at the spice shelf, it was not as dry as it might have been.

Pours a huge, dense, white head that collapses into a soapy white, half-inch foam. Wonderfully spicy aroma dominated by spice, with a touch of pumpkin behind it all. Amber-orange color. Starts off with spice and carbonation, the clovier-spice takes hold until the biscuit malt comes into play with the pumpkin; pumpkin pie or spiced cookies - this is the main flavor profile. The spice mutes as the finish comes on, then it's lingering pumpkin malt.

I absolutely love this one. One of two (Southern Tier "Pumpking") pumpkin biers I will drink. The addition of pumpkin to the mash allows this lager to showcase the pumpkin with a clarity that is unparalleled. This bier made me like pumpkin pie. When I drink this, I know it's Autumn.

Appearance: Slightly cloudy (perhaps some chill haze) orange-amber beer with a tall foamy cream head. The head settles slowly and has a thin ring of head retention and a very small amount of spotty lacing.

Smell: I can definitely smell it is a lager-it's got the characteristic clean, crisp malt in the background; however, this beer has pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon cloves that take the show. It smells like a baked pumpkin pie.

Taste: Tastes like pumpkin up front, and finishes with the spices previously mentioned (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves) and has an amazing finish. The aftertaste is crisp clean pumpkin pie.

Mouthfeel: Light body with medium carbonation and a smooth, very drinkable finish.

Overall: This beer is very well-blended and mellow. Nothing is overpowering or out of balance/proportion. A rarity among pumpkin beers!

Note: this bottle is from the basement beerchives, of un-remembered year. Notch on label indicates only the month of bottling (September)

Appearance: Poured a slightly hazy orange-y colour with a beautiful dense and long-lasting ==1 inch head. The haze doesn't offend me considering the age of the beer.

Aroma: Very malty and spicy, your usual "pumpkin pie" spices. No off aromas.

Flavour: Complex malty sweetness accented by spices. Spice character is reasonably assertive, but not overpowering. Time has been good to this marriage of malt and spice. The pumpkin is present, it's not all spice, but, as expected of any pumpkin beer, it's in the background.

Mouthfeel: It's in the mouthfeel where the presence of pumpkin in the beer really makes the difference compared to so-called "pumpkin" beers that are really just the pie spices. Medium body with a solid and full mouthfeel from the pumpkin and medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Overall, this beer has improved with aging in that the spices and the malt have softened and blended together well. It doesn't surprise me very much because Lakefront's Holiday Spice is also much better with a few years of aging than it is fresh from the brewery. This beer was just a big "wow!" when I opened it earlier today.

Purchased from Three Cellars in Franklin, WI. Pours an clear, orange-amber body with a thin white head that leaves a decent cap. Aroma is spicy with pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger the most discerable scents. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. This beer is sweet and malty with the pumpkin and spices coming through in the finish. Good drinkability on this one.